I was lucky enough to participate in a pre-opening test run and we were not disappointed. In fact, we were mightily impressed by the great pains the proprietors are going to in order to cultivate the dining experience at Home Slice. With a sense of humor even. Participants of the test-run were asked to fill out an entertaining questionnaire filled with questions like this multiple choice: My pizza was cheesy, my server was greasy; or My pizza was greasy, my server was beastly and so on. Customer satisfaction surveys are generic and boring almost as a rule, so we totally appreciated the chuckle. They are open for real, now.
We had a caprese salad and margherita pizza. It’s hard to go wrong with a caprese salad, and Home Slice didn’t disappoint. The salad was served on a small pizza tray, and with it came delicious little twists of bread made from pizza dough brushed with olive oil. We really loved that part.
The margherita pizza was also very pleasing. The crust was crisp, the garlic was just right and the basil was sprinkled on top instead of cooked in. That last bit is kind of nice visually and easy on the taste buds too. Pizzas are served on raised trays that add a fun little twist of formality to the experience.
The atmosphere struck us as a cross between a dark couch-filled bar you might find on, say, Red River and a typical raucous pizza joint. This is an odd combination, but somehow it works. We sat at the bar, which gives a view of the pizza oven and the staff bustling about. There are also booths and tables in the front section and tables in a smaller back area. It was dark out when we got there, but we did notice a patio out back as well. This is, of course, not very interesting right now (brrrr!), but come spring time we’re looking forward to hanging out outside.
A couple of interesting things to note: first off, the “slice window” is open until 3:00 AM on weekends. Yay! We really cannot stress enough that all business owners should jump on this bandwagon. Food at 2:00 AM for everyone every day, we say! Second, Home Slice Pizza does not deliver and won’t be delivering in the future. We’re not sure why they seem kind of vehement about this. Perhaps it’s part of the whole Home Slice experience... you just have to show up to enjoy it.
Home Slice Pizza is just what the SoCo area needs: an unpretentious place to get a slice of good pizza and a beer to go with it. Home Slice is bound to be an instant success. From casual observations as we drive back on forth on South Congress, it seems pretty popular already.
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